Not only is this Pecan Pie recipe one of the easiest pies to make, it’s absolutely fantastic with its rich caramel pecan filling paired with a flakey, buttery crust. It’s one of our family’s all-time favorites!

My grandmother was an excellent pie maker and pecan pie will always remind me of her.  Don’t miss my other traditional pie recipes including Pumpkin Pie, Apple Pie, and Lemon meringue pie.

A slice of Pecan Pie on a plate with a fork, ready to enjoy!

I was tasked to make Pecan Pie each year for Thanksgiving from a very young age, because it was so easy to make that my mom could trust I wouldn’t mess it up! I never truly appreciated its magic until I was an adult, and my “taste buds matured”, as my mom would say! I’m telling you, this pecan pie recipe is the absolute BEST!

Pecan pie is an old-fashioned pie made with pecans folded into a batter made of butter, sugar and eggs, that bakes into a delicious caramel, nutty pie filling. Be sure to check out my Pecan Pie Bars recipe too!

What we LOVE about this Pecan Pie Recipe:

  • EASY: Of all my pie recipes , this one is the fastest, easiest, and most basic recipe there is.
  • Unbaked Pie Crust: Pecan pie is made with an unbaked pie crust, which is is just another reason it’s so easy to make. Please do yourself a favor and pair it with my easy homemade pie crust, that tastes SO much better than store-bought!
  • Basic Ingredients: You only need a few simple pantry ingredients: sugar, brown sugar, salt, corn syrup, vanilla, butter, eggs, pecans.

How to Make Pecan Pie:

Cream sugars, salt, corn syrup, and butter. Add eggs and beat well, then stir in the vanilla. 

Two images showing sugars and butters being creamed and then eggs and vanilla being added for Pecan Pie.

Add Pecans: Stir in the pecans (leave out a small handful to place on top later) until incorporated.

The batter for Pecan Pie with fresh pecans being stirred into it.

Pour the mixture into an unbaked 9 inch pie shell. Add a few of the reserved pecans on top of the pie in any empty spots, to make it look pretty. Use a small spoon to cover them with batter.

An unbaked homemade Pecan Pie ready to go in the oven.

Bake the pie at 425 for 10 minutes, then reduce heat to 350 degrees and continue to cook for 40 minutes. Check on it half way through cooking and tent a piece of aluminum foil over the crust if it’s getting too browned–I spray the foil with non-stick cooking spray and try and tent it so it doesn’t touch the pie filling, so that the filling doesn’t stick to the foil.

The best Pecan Pie fresh out of the oven.

How do I know when it’s finished baking?

You will know your pecan pie is done cooking when you can gently shake the pie dish and see that the center of the pie is not overly jiggly and the outer edges are set.  If the pie jiggles a lot when you gently shake the pan, continue cooking it until the center is a little more set. The cook time will vary and may take a bit longer than 60 minutes.

A fresh Pecan Pie with a slice lifted up from the pie.

Make Ahead and Freezing Instructions:

To Make Ahead: Homemade Pecan Pie can be made 1-3 days in advance. Bake the pie, allow it to completely cool, then cover and store it in the refrigerator. I like to remove it from the fridge one hour before serving. You can also make the pecan pie filling (don’t add the nuts to the batter) and pie crust ahead of time and store them separately, then assemble the pie and bake on the day you want to serve it.

To Freeze: Allow baked Pecan Pie to cool completely, then cover it with plastic wrap and aluminum foil. Freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw completely in the fridge before serving.

More Pie Recipes:

Follow me for more great recipes

Recipe

A slice of Pecan Pie on a plate with a fork, ready to enjoy!
Prep 15 minutes
Cook 50 minutes
Total 1 hour 5 minutes
Save Recipe

Equipment

Ingredients
 
 

Instructions
 

  • Prepare my perfect pie crust recipe and place pie dough in an 9 inch pie dish. Refrigerate while you prepare the pecan pie filling.
  • In a large bowl mix together sugar, brown sugar, salt, corn syrup, and softened (or melted) butter. Mix in the eggs and vanilla.
  • Reserve a few pecans and stir the rest into the batter. Pour into unbaked pie shell. Add a few of the reserved pecans on top of the pie in any empty spots, to make it look pretty. Use a small spoon to cover them with batter.
  • Bake at 425 degrees for 10 minutes, then lower the oven temp to 350 degrees F and continue baking for about 40 minutes. Check the pie half way through cooking and tent a large piece of greased aluminum foil over the top of the pie. (I tent it high so it doesn't touch the pie filling).
  • You will know your pecan pie is done when you can shake it gently and it is not overly jiggly.  If it jiggles a lot when shaking, continue cooking until the center is more set, 5-10 more minutes.
  • Allow pie to cool completely for several hours before cutting and serving. Or refrigerate for 1-3 days, until ready to serve.

Notes

*This recipe is for a standard 9” pie dish.  If you have a larger pie dish then I would suggest 1 ½ the recipe!
Make Ahead Instructions: Homemade Pecan Pie can be made 1-3 days in advance. Bake the pie, allow it to completely cool, then cover and store it in the refrigerator. I like to remove it from the fridge one hour before serving. You can also make the pecan pie filling (don’t add the nuts to the batter) and pie crust ahead of time and store them separately, then assemble the pie and bake on the day you want to serve it.
Freezing Instructions: Allow baked Pecan Pie to cool completely, then cover it with plastic wrap and aluminum foil. Freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw completely in the fridge before serving.
 

Nutrition

Calories: 368kcalCarbohydrates: 50gProtein: 3gFat: 19gSaturated Fat: 6gPolyunsaturated Fat: 4gMonounsaturated Fat: 8gTrans Fat: 0.2gCholesterol: 54mgSodium: 230mgPotassium: 86mgFiber: 2gSugar: 42gVitamin A: 224IUVitamin C: 0.1mgCalcium: 25mgIron: 1mg

Did You Make This Recipe?

Tag @TastesBetterFromScratch on Instagram with #TastesBetterFromScratch!

Follow Me

Get recipe ideas weekly!

I originally shared this recipe November 2018. Updated November 2022.

This post contains affiliate links.

Related Posts

Share Recipe

Categories

About The Author

Lauren Allen

Welcome! I’m Lauren, a mom of four and lover of good food. Here you’ll find easy recipes and weeknight meal ideas made with real ingredients, with step-by-step photos and videos.

Leave A Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




Comments

  1. 5 stars
    Not sure why people are rating this as one-two stars because it came out perfect for me. I’m guessing, as all recipes state, that baking times may vary depending on the condition of the oven. Made this for a food class and it had a perfect, caramelized brown top and the filling was great. The baking really brought out the nuttiness of the pecans but I used a store bought crust instead and that took away from the quality because it was really hard and chewy after setting and cooling in the fridge overnight. But overall, a great pie recipe, follow instructions exactly and let it set for enough time.

  2. 1 star
    One of the worst pecan pie recipes. I do not leave reviews often BUT I need to leave this one. Please find another recipe for pecan pie. I apologize for leaving such a low review Mrs. Allen…. but nothing about this recipe worked. It was like I made soup not pecan pie.

  3. 1 star
    DONT use this recipe. Like a lot of other people have said already, it just comes out as soupy as it was when you first put it in. Waste of time and money. Not sure how so many people are giving this good reviews.

    1. i’ve looked up several different posters for this recipe & they’re all virtually identical(only difference being 1/4 cup nuts) & on all those it’s 90+ % raving reviews so those of you complaining have to realize all ovens work differently; in fact, one of the other posters says it can be as much as a 25 minute difference

  4. 5 stars
    I love this recipe and have made it several times and it’s always come out just right. It’s easy and delicious, I don’t understand the negative reviews.

  5. 5 stars
    mine came out perfectly I used a diff all butter pie crust but everything else stayed the same. baked it 5 min extra for good measure but it was so good

  6. I took a gamble making this recipe this year for Christmas after reading a lot of reviews that said this recipe comes out “ soupy”. This is the first recipe review I’ve ever written and I’m here to say DO NOT MAKE THIS. This recipe comes out soupy just like a lot of reviews state. This is not a good recipe and is a waste of time and ingredients.

  7. 5 stars
    My 1st attempt at making a Pecan Pie. It came out great. Took 110 mins to get to the centre jiggly stage but I know different ovens and climates can affect baking time so I didn’t mind.

    It tasted great both at room temp and cold. The crust was delicious and flaky. So easy to make and browned well without burning.

    Will definitely make again, just may cut down a little on the sugar just because my taste buds naturally prefer a less sweet dessert and I usually do cut the sugar in every recipe, but forgot to do so this time.

    Great recipe, I look forward to trying another of your pie recipes.

  8. 5 stars
    This will sure finish off all your diabetic husbands. Just look at all the sugar, syrup, and eggs. Be careful men, the women are out to get us and disguising their attack with love. I’m not falling for this recipe.

  9. 1 star
    Pretty angry. Wouldn’t set and now it’s a burned crust soupy mess. Avoid this click bait recipe at all costs. What a waste of time and money.

  10. 1 star
    This pie didn’t set ratios are clearly off. I did an additional 20 min at 350 then cooled and even an additional 20 at 400 then put in the freezer and it still didn’t set.

  11. 1 star
    Very disappointed, made this recipe for Christmas
    Followed recipe exactly, pecans did not rise to the top
    Looks like pecans are under the top crust, but the top is thick and very dark

  12. 5 stars
    I made this pie for thanksgiving. First time making a pie and I also made my own homemade crust. Everyone raved about it and loved it! I’m now in charge of the pie for the holidays 💕followed the recipe exactly as written, wouldn’t change a thing.

  13. 5 stars
    Pecan pie is my husbands favorite pie so I decided to make him one this year.He cannot stop raving about this recipe! Said it was 10 out of 10 and for me not to change a thing the next time I make it. Thank you for sharing your yummy recipe!

  14. 2 stars
    Not sure what I’m doing incorrectly, but after the 10 minutes at the higher temperature, the top is already caramelized and looks nasty. If I do this again, I will either tent it from the beginning, or start at a lower temp and tent sooner. I’m sure it will taste OK once the top is scraped off, but it sure doesn’t look appealing at all. Not overly impressed.

    1. Maurine, I am wondering if your oven needs to be “calibrated”. It must be running hotter than it should. I have seen the crust get golden, but the filling still looks “wet” and like it did when I poured it in. Good luck!

    2. I made this for Christmas day and mine turned out the same. It was inedible. The first time I have made pecan pie that didn’t turn out. Many people were disappointed.

  15. 5 stars
    My family and I LOVED this pie! It converted my mother into a pecan pie fan. Will definitely be making for Christmas this year!

    1. 4 stars
      I made this pie and I bake a lot. It turned out awlful. Started over I boiled sugar and syrups.I used equal amounts of light and dark corn syrup plus sugar boiled for 2-3 minutes what a difference that made. You will know when it’s done when thermometer reads 200. Came out perfect. Wish I could show before and after pics

  16. 5 stars
    This is the best pecan pie recipe I’ve ever tried. So simple and good… A must: The pie crust recipe from linked to this recipe.

    Everyone was amazed by it. Thank you for sharing it!

  17. 5 stars
    I seen some negative ratings and I’m not sure why they must have did something wrong. Mine turned out amazing and I love it!

  18. 3 stars
    Not sure if I did something wrong, but I followed the recipe as close as possible and it came out pretty gloopy. I think maybe the ratios are wrong and there is too much sugar/corn syrup to set even after baking for 20 minutes longer and measuring an internal temp of 200F (which should be more than enough to set). It still tastes good though, if a bit sweet.

  19. 5 stars
    Our Thanksgiving pies are in the oven and this one is the prettiest by far! It is browning beautifully under the foil tent, and I can’t wait to see my parents’ faces when they see it (my family- husb+2kids, will have to be convinced to try anything beyond the pumpkin pie, but my parents LOVE pecan!)

  20. 3 stars
    It was waaaay too sweet, i knew it would be when i added such a big amount of sugar and syrup but i decided to follow the recipe anyway.. huge mistake

  21. 5 stars
    I made a couple of changes but this was the best pecan pie I’ve ever had! Actually, it may be the best pie I’ve ever had.

    Instead of brown sugar I used coconut sugar and only 3/4th cup. I also used maple syrup in place of corn syrup as a healthier alternative. Was fantastic! Thanks for the recipe!

  22. 5 stars
    Made this for Thanksgiving, it was the best pecan pie I’ve made. Used my own crust recipe and I had to add the additional 10 minutes baking, but it was great.

  23. 5 stars
    This was the best pecan pie I have ever made. I had to bake it much longer than it said and I’m not sure why because I followed the recipe. Nonetheless, it was delicious!!

  24. 1 star
    Soupy pie. I followed all of the steps. I had to bake it for well over an hour. I needed the oven for something else so I pulled out the pie. It sat over night and the filling is a soupy mess. I do love all of the recipes on here so I was surprised this did not turn out.

  25. 3 stars
    I followed the instructions and my pie just wouldn’t set. I’m a seasoned baker and I have made plenty of pie recipes. Not sure why I had so many issues to finish baking this pie. Baked for 120 minutes before it was finally finished.

  26. 1 star
    AVOID this recipe at all costs! I followed every single step and ended up throwing it away the night before thanksgiving.

  27. 5 stars
    Nice and easy recipe. Followed directions and it came out perfectly. I’m bringing it for Thanksgiving dessert tomorrow.

  28. This recipe just didn’t work out for me. Followed exactly. I ended up not using all of it so it wouldn’t be too full. Still spilled over. Starting at 425 caused the top to be browned after 10 minutes and the top ended up overed cooked even after tenting. The pecans didn’t rise to the top. It was an all around disaster.

  29. 2 stars
    Why does this recipe not have a warning about the pie spilling over the crust in the oven??? It spilled over in the first 4 minutes even though I used a 9 inch pie crust. Go with the original pie recipe where you put the pecans in the pie and then pour in the corn syrup mixture.

  30. I have to remember not to start baking at 425 degrees, because after the required 10 minutes at that high temp, my pie was dark brown on top. It’s still in the oven at the 350 degree temp (and I immediately put a foil tent over it), but dang I wish it hadn’t gotten so brown in the first 10 minutes.

    1. 2 stars
      I have this same issue. The baking times on this recipe were way too long with it uncovered and my pie looks like the sugar candied on the edges almost. I have never had an issue making pecan pie before, guess I’ll find out if it’s an issue when we taste it today.

  31. 4 stars
    Great recipe, but it is a pie not a cake. Creaming the butter and sugar and over beating the eggs will cause the custard to fluff up full of air, get frothy and then collapse which changes the texture of the filling to spongy and gooey, and makes for a cracked pie top. It will still be delicious but it isn’t right.

    1. 2 stars
      not sure if it was the amount of eggs but this pie turned into an omelet. it got very eggy looking and very brown in the first 10min and puffed up like a marshmallow. im not a fan of pecan pies but my husband is. if he doesnt like the way it looks he will not eat it. a waste. the 2 stars is bc of my homemade pie crust.

  32. Great recipe! Delicious. However, the cover tin foil should go on earlier, when the crust is golden. I dont have a window in my oven, nor a timer, so I relied on the directions. (My bad) My aoartment isnt furnished with a baker’s ideal set up. 😁

  33. I baked this and it didn’t look quite right on the top, then my daughter mentioned that she learned how to bake Pecan pie in cooking class, you had to put the pecans in first and pour the batter over the top. I have not tasted my pie yet so I’m hoping it tastes good but putting the pecans in the batter instead of on the bottom is different.

  34. 5 stars
    I’ve only ever made one pecan pie about 20 years ago and it wasn’t great because the filling was probably undercooked. I decided to try again for a family pie contest using your pie and crust recipe. I guess I didn’t grease it well because the foil tenting stuck to the pie and pulled off some chunks of perfectly caramelized filling, which I just scraped back onto the pie. The filling wasn’t quite done in the center so I baked it a little longer hoping it would even out the top. It didn’t so I decided to broil for a few seconds which helped, but then the top of the pie was just slightly too brown, just short of burnt. I also realized I had the oven on convection bake for at least part of the cooking time. Regardless, it still looked edible to me. The event was held outdoors around a campfire on about a 40 degree day. By the time we got around to tasting the pies, my once warm pie was now pretty much ice cold and quite firm. I was shocked after the voting to hear that my pie was the winner! One person commented that it didn’t look like much but it sure was tasty 😀. I think I will take this pie to Thanksgiving dinner this week. Thanks for the great recipe, which was relatively easy for this infrequent baker.

  35. You had me hooked until I saw the corn syrup. Almost impossible to find organic corn syrup and I absolutely won’t use commercial, GMO/glyphosate-ridden corn syrup. I guess I’ll keep this on the shelf until I can find organic.

  36. Does not fit an 8 inch pie pan. Also, probably good to leave about a 1/4 inch from the top of the crust. I didn’t use all of the filling and it still spilled over. Good taste though.

  37. Everyone at our Thanksgiving said it was the best pecan pie they ever had and that’s even with me having burned the top because I got distracted and forgot to cover it with foil half way through. I’ve used other recipes but this one is perfection.

  38. 5 stars
    Made this today. Family cookout and despite having made 3 other family favorite pies to choose from, the pecan was by far the star.

    I’ve tried so many pecan pie recipes and eaten even more. This is the *perfect* pecan pie! Not too sweet, perfectly buttery taste, perfect amount of pecans… yeah it’s perfection!

    Thank you!

  39. 5 stars
    Awesome instructions, they are very detailed and also as instructions on if you want to freeze it or if you don’t have the right pan. It tastes amazing and also has a vid. I appreciate it so much thank you👏

  40. 5 stars
    I just made this pecan pie along with your pie dough recipe. It was super delicious, we all loved it! But I must say, the pie dough was really exceptional!
    Thank you!

  41. 5 stars
    I always undercook my pecan pies so all the tips about foil tenting and jiggly-ness were so helpful for solving my problem. This is a really yummy recipe with the perfect ratio of pecans.

  42. 5 stars
    I made this recipe for Thanksgiving. This is, by far, the best pecan pie recipe I’ve tried. It’s absolutely perfect.

    The top pecans ended up covered in a wonderful caramelized coating.

  43. 5 stars
    I answered my own question.
    I baked this pie starting at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for 10 minutes. Cranked it down to 325 degrees Fahrenheit for 50 minutes.
    Came out perfect.
    I used store bought deep dish frozen crusts.

  44. 4 stars
    Is there another method of baking this pie off in the oven?
    I have seen sooo many pecan pie recipes with the standardized 350 degree Fahrenheit for 50 – 60 minutes.
    I am considering preheating my Oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit popping in a Double recipe for two pies, cook at 400 for 10 minutes, then knock the oven temperature down to 325 degrees Fahrenheit for the remaining 40 minutes. Would this work ?????
    My husband has a custard pumpkin pie that utilizes this form of baking technique and it works well each year it is where I got the idea from to apply to this pecan recipe.

  45. 4 stars
    Made this pecan pie for thanksgiving turned out great. But I will say it NEEDED more pecans I also cut off 1/4 cup of the sugar and it turned out fine.

  46. I’m making this right now. I followed the directions exactly as written. I’ve never had any issues baking a pie, cake, cookies, or anything for that matter. However, the pecans in this recipe did not rise to the top as they do in every other recipe I’ve ever used. Very odd…

  47. 5 stars
    This is the second year I’ve made this and it’s my favorite pie recipe! I make it with a frozen gluten free pie crust and it’s amazing.

  48. 5 stars
    This is so close to my mom’s recipe. I like to make a candied pecan bottom in the crust before my pour. Everyone in my family loves it.!!!

  49. I made this for dinner party after looking at a bunch of recipes. Very delicious. Next time I would cut 1/4 c of white sugar out. I also use more vanilla (almost always do) and about 1/2 cup more pecans, as I put some larger full pieces on top as I saw in another recipe.

    Mine was a bit jiggly and already had baked for 55 or more min and I wanted to get to bed. So I turned off oven. Opened the door of oven for just a minute or two, and then closed it and kept pie in warm oven overnight.
    Perfect.

  50. 5 stars
    Made this for thanksgiving and it did not disappoint. I llloooovveee pecan pie and this was the best recipe I’ve ever made. None of her recipes disappoint though!!

  51. 5 stars
    I made this pie for Thanksgiving dinner the night before but we only had three pieces left for dessert on Thanksgiving day! It was super easy and VERY delicious. I used chopped pecans for easier slicing (sometimes pecan halves are hard to slice in pies) and a prepared pie crust instead of homemade. It was beautiful looking and I am sharing this recipe with everyone at work. I can’t wait to make another pie for Christmas day.